What is post-COVID-19 condition?
Post-COVID-19 condition, also known as long COVID, occurs in people who have had COVID-19, usually 3 months after the acute phase begins and with symptoms lasting at least 2 months. Symptoms can develop during or after the acute COVID-19 infection, impact the affected person’s quality of life, and are not explained by an alternative diagnosis. Over 50 symptoms associated with this condition have been described. The most common are fatigue, breathing difficulties, changes in smell and taste, headaches, chest pain, and issues with concentration and memory.
How can I participate in this study?
Individuals included in this study were identified from clinical records or systems maintained at the national level to ensure COVID-19 surveillance. It is not possible to participate on your own initiative. If you have been selected based on these records, you will be invited to participate by phone by our team of interviewers for components 2 and 3 of our project.
I have been contacted to participate, what will happen?
If you have been selected, you will be contacted by phone. Initially, the study and how it works will be explained to you. If you agree to participate, you will be contacted again to complete an initial questionnaire at a convenient date and time. This questionnaire will take a maximum of 30 minutes to complete and includes general questions about the symptoms you experienced when you tested and your current health status. Three months later, if you agree, we will contact you again to apply a shorter questionnaire focused on the symptoms you are experiencing at that time, which will take around 15 minutes to complete.
You can choose not to participate or not answer certain questions in the questionnaire. You may also stop participating at any time, without any disadvantages or limitations of rights. To do so, you only need to inform our team or contact us at locus@ensp.unl.pt.
Why was I selected?
You were selected because you had a COVID-19 test in August 2022. To understand the frequency, characteristics, and experiences of people with long COVID in the Lisbon and Vale do Tejo region, two groups were identified: one with a positive test and another with a negative test in August 2022. At the time of initial contact, we do not know the result of your test or any other health data. If you agree to participate, we will obtain this information through the Direção-Geral da Saúde (DGS) information system. If you agree to participate and are eligible, DGS will send us the information about your test result from August 2022 and, if applicable, the date of the diagnosis or any subsequent diagnosis. This procedure was approved by the Ethics Committee for Health of the Regional Administration of Lisbon and Vale do Tejo.
I have been contacted for an individual interview, what should I do?
After completing the phone questionnaires, if you have given your consent and present any symptoms suspicious of post-COVID-19 condition, you may be contacted again to participate in individual interviews. This phase corresponds to component 3 of the project, which aims to understand the experiences and needs of patients with post-COVID-19 condition, particularly regarding the management of their daily lives and the use of health services and other resources. The interviews will preferably take place remotely (via Zoom) with one of our researchers, last approximately 60 minutes, and will be recorded, ensuring the confidentiality of your data.
How will my data be handled?
Your data will be collected, processed, and analyzed in strict accordance with European privacy and data security laws, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). For more details, you can consult our Privacy Policy.
How will I know the results of the study?
Publications related to our study will be available on this website. If you require additional information, you can contact us at locus@ensp.unl.pt.
